Chance at Change
by StolenSeason
Summary: At the start of their 6th year the world is changing. The war is ending, and people are changing. What changes are in store for Hermione and her friends? 6TH YEAR AU. RATED FOR LATER. PLEASE R/R. - While I have been an active reader, I have neglected this for far too long.  Here hoping and attempting to get back into writing this.
1. The Letters

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or anything that was created by J.K. Rowling.**

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**A/N- This is a project for my free time, so updates may not be quick. I am always happy to get reviews, but not reviews that bash my plot. I enjoy advice and help from the readers, but not snide remarks.**

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This summer would be the end of me. By the end of school the war was raging out of control. No one could deny that Voldemort had come back. And no one could deny that there was a war. Attacks on muggles were happening more and more. The Deatheaters used muggles as weapons; they knew it hurt their opponents. So far I had kept my parents out of the line of fire, but soon I would be heading back to Hogwarts for the start of my sixth year. Two weeks and counting until I would be back in my second home. That's when I heard the owl tapping on my windowpane.

I opened the window to find a rather large gray bird; he just sat on the sill. I patted his back and he took off. A large cream-colored envelope sat where he had been.

"I wonder who this is from?"

The question didn't need to be asked aloud, but I had asked it anyways. My curiosity got the best of me and I tore the seal open. The seal was not one that I recognized. The deep blue wax also confused me; most wizards used blood red wax to seal their letters.

Inside the large envelope were four smaller ones; the first three had the Hogwarts crest across their fronts. The fourth envelope was plain, and made from the same cream paper as the large envelope.

I decided to open the letters from the school first, hoping that they would reveal the need for the odd delivery.

The first letter was to tell me that my prefect status was renewed. As a consequence of the war, some of the prefects would be changing each year. This was great news. Being a prefect for my 5th and 6th year meant that I was possibly going to be in line for Head Girl next year.

"Who are the other prefects? Ron? Maybe Harry?"

I continued to rip open the second envelope from Hogwarts. This was a list of supplies that I would need for my sixth year. It also made me wonder what the third package contained.

The third envelope was thicker, but not by much. I tore into it, anxious to see the contents. The first page was a letter from the headmaster detailing the need for the rearranging of the prefects. It stated that due to the war, some students would not be returning to the school in September. And to make things fair to all of the houses, new prefects would be assigned. One prefect would stay the same, while the second would be a different student from the same house.

I nervously flipped to the second page of the letter, only to find that it was another letter altogether. It was announcing that to promote school unity a series of formal dances would take place throughout the year. It would be the job of the prefects and the Head Girl and Boy to arrange three dances. It also gave suggestions as to when they should occur.

My curiosity was getting the best of me. What could the unmarked envelope contain? Why did the letters come packaged the way they did? I finally stopped questioning myself; I had no answers. I tore into the final envelope. There was a single sheet of cream paper. It was very small and rather rough around the edges. The writing was small, but overly curled. She recognized it at once. Dumbledore. But whose seal was it, and why? She read on to find out.

_Ms. Granger,_

_ I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for the confusion this must have caused, to receive an unknown package. The war has caused many unforeseen changes, some of which you have already read about. An unknown package was far less likely to be intercepted by our enemies, so our school letters were all sent in this fashion, and from my longtime friend Adrian Abtereen. Good luck with the rest of your summer break. I will see you at the start of term. September 1__st__._

_ D._

I had tears in my eyes when I finished. This was the first letter I had received with news of the war, and the wizarding world, since early July. I should have been off fighting with Harry and Ron, but they felt I needed to stay with my family, to protect them. They were right; we had been attacked seven or eight times already. Nothing too terribly bad, but my parents would never have been able to defend themselves. I was ready for the start of classes. I missed my friends; I missed using my wand for more than fighting. I should find someone to accompany me to Diagon Alley. I needed to gather my supplies, and possibly a few more books to read in my free time.

Just as I was thinking of who to ask to go along with me, another owl tapped my window. This one was rather small, and all together too fluffy. I knew in an instant who it was from, Ginny, the only one of my friends who wasn't off fighting in the war.

_Mione,_

_ I just got my school list, and letters. And I'M A PREFECT!! We should go to Diagon Alley for our supplies, maybe this afternoon if you aren't busy. Owl me back to let me know._

_ Love, Gin_

I thought about my plans. I didn't have any, so I wrote back to Ginny, asking her to meet me outside Gringotts at 4.

I handed the note over to the impatient owl that began to buzz around my room.

"Take this straight back to Gin. OK?"

I fed him a small treat that I kept for when my friends would owl me, and he buzzed out of my room, and on his way to the Burrow. I spun around and quickly started rummaging through my closet for something to wear. It was already noon and I had about a half hour of travel to get to The Leaky Cauldron.


	2. Diagon Alley

**A/N: Sorry it's short. the next one will be longer. 3**

**And again I don't own Harry Potter or anything that is a part of the books. If I did, you wouldn't be reading this here.  
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Thanks to:

**IGOTEAMEDWARD**

and

**voldyismyfather**

for the supportive reviews.

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It was ten to four, and I was sitting on the wide marble steps leading to the bank. Ginny should be here any minute. I couldn't wait to see one of my best friends. Maybe she had gotten news of Harry and Ron, and how they were faring. I looked up to see the fair skinned red head bouncing my direction. She had grown up a lot since the first time I had met her. She bounded over to me and scooped me up into a bear hug.

"Mione! I've missed you so much. How was your summer? Did you hear from the boys any? Weren't those letters from Dumbledore odd? I missed you."

She ran everything together never giving me a chance to say a word, ending by giving me a squeeze before letting go. Her brown eyes glittered in the bright sun of the afternoon.

"Oh, Gin, I missed you. And I miss the boys, it's just not the same without them. And I'm so worried. I haven't heard from them all summer. No one in the Order will tell me anything. I was hoping Ron had sent you an owl," I paused, and felt like crying. "Other than missing them, and you, my summer has been, oh no."

"What?" her eyes went as wide as mine probably were.

"Malfoy."

I nearly spat out his name, and even that couldn't express the bile taste in my mouth he caused. He was headed directly towards us. He wasn't surrounded by his normal body guards. Actually it looked like he was alone.

" He's alone. I don't think I have _ever_ seen him alone."

Ginny started to giggle. Her laughter was light and airy. She even made me start to laugh. She had a way of making me laugh.

That was when he passed us. His silver eyes skimming me, they looked hollow. He didn't even bother to make a snide remark. Then he was past us, disappearing into Gringotts.

"Well, that was odd," Ginny smiled. "We should start shopping. We both need our books. And you've almost definitely grown out of your robes."

We headed off into the hustle of the crowd. Everyone in the wizarding world seemed to be shopping today.

After what seemed like hours of shopping in every store in Diagon Alley we curled up in chairs in the Leaky Cauldron. She would be heading back to the Burrow, and I would head back to my own house. It had been good to see her, and to spend time out of my house. School would start soon, but not soon enough. I slid out of my chair and picked up the tall redhead out of her chair to give her a hug before she had to floo back to the Burrow. She kissed my cheek, then headed towards Tom. I turned to leave through the doors leading to Muggle England.

I had almost reached the doors when a tall figure tripped and blocked my way. His silvery hair was a mess, and he seemed absolutely nerve wracked. I almost didn't realize who the person sprawled on the floor in front of me was. Draco Malfoy.

I extended a hand, meaning to help him up off of the tile. I didn't think he would accept it, but he did. He pulled him self up off the floor, muttering thanks before taking off back into the bar.


	3. Train and Dinner

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: **I'm happy to say that things seem to really be flowing. And I'm really happy with where this is headed. More as sson as I can get it out of my head and into my computer.

**Thanks again to:**

_**IGOTEAMEDWARD**_

**and**

_**voldyismyfather**_

**And a special thanks to: **Brad-ley, the most amazing person in the world, for making sure this makes sense.  


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The days had flown by; it was already September 1st. I had woken up at exactly 6 am. It was only 8 now and I already had everything packed and ready to go. My parents would drop me off at Kings Cross at 10:45. I could hardly wait. I missed Hogwarts, and I missed being around other wizards. During school my parents' house was going to be hidden, to keep Deatheaters from finding them. I hoped that it would work; I didn't think I would survive without them.

I ran downstairs to grab breakfast before heading back up to double and triple check to make sure I had everything packed. Once I was sure that I had gathered everything I would need, I dragged my trunk down to the doorway. I curled up in one of the overlarge chairs and began reading. My mother found me like that at 10 am. She told me it was time to go, and hugged me tighter than she ever had before. She would remain here while my father drove me to the train station. Just as she was letting go, he came down the stairs. I would miss them.

He took my trunk down the front steps and loaded it into the back of the car. I jumped in the front seat. I was ready to be boarding the train. He scooted into the driver's seat, and we were off. The drive into London took about twenty minutes, although it seemed like hours. My father knew I liked to arrive early for everything. He pulled up at Kings Cross at 10:30. I jumped out of the car, just as my father was unloading my trunk onto a cart. I gave him a big hug, and then grabbed my cart and took off to platform 9 and 3/4. He and I both knew that long goodbyes were hard. That simple hug was all he needed to know that I loved him.

I ran towards the barrier, the last little bit before I was back in _my_ world, the wizarding world. As soon as I had crossed the barrier I felt the magic coursing through my veins. I felt alive again. I began to scan the few people milling around, looking for Ginny, and hoping to see Harry or Ron. With no sign of any of them I hopped aboard the train. Prefects were in the first compartment, so I loaded my trunk into that one and went back to the platform. I immediately saw a wave a red, and ran towards my best friend. She was alone, which struck me as strange; Mrs. Weasley usually accompanied her children to the train. Ginny looked distracted, even a little confused. Then she saw me, and her eyes lit up. She ran towards me as fast as she could with her trunk in tow.

"Gin, where's your mum? And what's wrong?"

"Oh, Mione, it's terrible."

She looked as if she were going to cry right there. I herded her toward the train. We would have some privacy there.

After we had secured her trunk in the luggage compartment she began her story.

"Mione, I can't believe it. Mum woke me around midnight. Told me she loved me and I would have to get to the train myself, that something had happened. Then she was gone. Dad hasn't been home for days, something has happened, and everyone in the order is on alert. Tonks hasn't even come around for weeks. I don't know what happened, but it has to be big. I'm terrified."

She was about to continue when we were interrupted. Malfoy slipped into the compartment and curled up in the corner, oblivious to Ginny and I sitting there. He looked just as upset as Ginny was, and I remembered how distraught he had been in the Leaky Cauldron two weeks ago. Something was up and it seemed to be affecting him as well as Ginny. I thought about questioning him, but I didn't want to be caught up in a Malfoy mood swing. I decided silence was better.

Just then the train started to become busy. There was only ten minutes left to board. A sea of people flocked into the Prefects compartment, and very few of them I recognized. One person stood out as soon as she entered, Millicent Bullstrode, the Slytherin sixth year that I had tried to impersonate. She was big, and some days scary, but today she just seemed nervous. I felt there was something big going on but I was afraid to ask. Neville was the last to stumble into the compartment; his usual nervous attitude seemed amplified. This was going to be a long train ride.

The only thing that broke up the awkward feeling among everyone was when we started our rounds patrolling the corridors. I secretly hoped to see Harry or Ron hidden out in one of the compartments, but a the train neared Hogsmeade I gave up hope of spotting them on the train. My job now was to alert all of the students to be ready for the arrival at Hogsmeade.

As a 6th year Prefect, it was my job to make sure everyone made it off the train, and assure the first year students that their trunks would make it to their dormitories. After I made sure that the train was cleared of students I made my way to the carriages that waited for the older students. It bothered me that McGonagall was there to welcome the new students; it was usually Hagrid's job. Things were different everywhere, and it had me worried.

I climbed into the first carriage in the line; it had been reserved for the returning Prefects. I was there with Malfoy and two seventh years I didn't recognize. It had been odd enough to be around him all day without his usual remarks, but he didn't even notice when I took the seat next to him. I had to find out what was going on with everyone.

When the carriage arrived at the large doors, the two seventh years took off. I started to step out of the carriage when I heard a meek 'stop' from behind me.

"Thanks for the other day," he said, before brushing past me.

It sounded like those words would kill him. This had to be big if Malfoy was being nice. I took off towards the building hoping to find Ginny.

Just as I started up the steps to the Great Hall, someone called my name. It was Professor Snape. What could he want with me. I walked over towards him, he had an awful sneer spread across his lips, but at least he was being somewhat normal.

"Ms. Granger, I need you to follow me," he said it in such a drawn out way.

We made out way to an empty classroom in the entrance hall, one that was never used. He waited until I had shut the door before beginning to speak.

"Now, Ms. Granger, you may not know it but your friends have been working to protect you, and almost every other student at this school, since July. I know that they have been trying to hide this from all of the students, but I feel the need to tell you this before you find a way to find out on your own. Any owls to your friends could be deadly for them. This war is coming near the end. Something I am a major part of, my information has proved to be very useful. But I do feel the need to tell you that your two best friends may not return to the school this year. I am positive you have noticed changes in the students that have decided to return, and the absences of those who chose not to. You should not question any of these changes, the reasons are mostly very private matters. I am sorry to keep you from the dinner celebrations, but I do know that you are a very nosy person, and wanted to save you the trouble. I also wanted to save the other students from your prying questions. I'll let you get back to dinner. Good Evening Ms. Granger."

With that he swept out of the room leaving me stunned. The war would be over soon, did that explain why everyone was acting so differently? I wasn't sure but I needed to get to dinner and find Ginny. I again made my way to the Great Hall. As I slipped through the large doors, I noticed Professor McGonagall removing the stool that sat at the front of the hall; I had missed the Sorting.

I made my way to Gryffindor's table, searching the faces for Ginny. I didn't see her anywhere but just then I felt someone tug me down onto the bench, she had spotted me. I was about to tell her about Snape pulling me aside when Dumbledore stood up and began to speak.

"Welcome students. I promise to keep this short. As you may have noticed, the tables are far less crowded than previous years. There is no denying that the ongoing war has taken its toll on this school, as well as the students. This saddens me immensely, the students are the life of this school, but we will carry on. On a lighter note there are a few changes I must inform you of. There will be dormitory changes for the Prefects. The new dormitory arrangement will be similar to that of the Head Boy and Girl. Prefects in their sixth and seventh year will share a common room, with adjoining dormitories for the male and female students. The prefects and Head Boy and Girl will still have access to their respective House Common rooms. The fifth year Prefects will remain in their respective House Dormitories. That shall be all for now. Tuck in."

As he took his seat the tables filled with food and chatter erupted throughout the hall as everyone began to eat.


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